Goodbye, America.

It's the eve of my big departure from the US. I can't believe it's finally here. Today was a big day:

1. Finally know where I'll be sleeping in Athens this Saturday.

2. Finally started the application process to my Taiwan visitor visa (which I will be receiving tomorrow shortly before I board my flight at JFK).

3. Finally booked my flight from Italy to Spain.

4. Finally got back in touch with the lovely farm I'll be staying with in Italy! Apparently, they are "just starting with the olive harvest now!" and "the boys will be going to lay the nets from tomorrow, so the picking will start as of next week."

5. Finally got email set up on my new blackberry (which I received in the mail 30 minutes after being dropped off at the airport in Austin).

6. Just realized that I've already changed dramatically from this trip, and it hasn't even begun yet. What happened to the perfectionist planner of a few months ago? If this were a client event, I would have had multiple drafts of itineraries, briefing documents and key messages already prepared.